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Protests in Yemen; Unrest in Syria; President Obama Calls Congress on Libya; New Nuclear Fears in Japan; The Human Factor; Don't Order Red or Black Fords; Japan Business Shutdown; Milestone in New York; Man Kills Self to Help Libyan Rebels; 75 Killed in Myanmar Quake; One Shot at Indiana Middle School; Elizabeth Taylor Laid to Rest

Aired March 25, 2011 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

JOE JOHNS, CNN ANCHOR: There are some major developments on the unfolding situation out of Libya. We now know who will take charge of the NATO military campaign and we're just getting word President Obama is talking to members of Congress about the situation in Libya. We will go live to the White House as soon as something breaks.

Also, the violence is escalating across the Middle East. In Jordan, thousands take to the streets to protest their government. Listen to this. Fights break out. Sticks and rocks are thrown. One government leader says things are getting out of hand.

And in Yemen, thousands fill the streets to protest their leaders. Listen. One U.S. ally calls the situation there -- quote -- "deteriorating rapidly." Remember, some officials are calling Yemen the new Wild West for al Qaeda terrorists. We will get to all of that in a minute.

But, first, Mubarak is gone in Egypt. Gadhafi is under siege in Libya. Is Bashar Assad next? That's the question today rumbling across the Middle East because the spark of revolution has reached the Arab powerhouse Syria.

This is Damascus today. Anti-government protests spread to the Syrian capital and beyond. Here's where it started, Daraa, south of Damascus. And believe it or not, we are told with all the arrests about a month ago, a dozen teens is how it started. They were arrested for spraying anti-government graffiti. That was the spark.

Then on Wednesday, this -- government forces opened fire there in Daraa. Accounts remain sketchy, but the tape we're about to watch does give us some idea. As we said, the exact circumstances remain unclear, as do the number of deaths.

But, yesterday, the government conceded it made a mistake and announced new reforms. Today's response from the street suggests that may not be enough.

We're joined live now by CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom. He's watching events unfold from his post in Abu Dhabi. And based on reports we're getting and the video we're seeing, demonstrations are spreading. Is this getting to the point where it's now become a direct challenge to the regime of Bashar al-Assad?

MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Joe, the protesters, the eyewitnesses, the human rights activists we spoke to today all said that is the case.

They said what the government offered up yesterday was far too little and far too late. They simply don't trust what the government had to say. They don't believe that reforms will be implemented. Today very disturbing accounts -- we were told by eyewitnesses at least 15 people killed when they were trying to march from a town close to Daraa to Daraa to express solidarity with the demonstrators in Daraa.

We also heard that in Daraa itself, that they toppled a statue of former President Hafez al-Assad and they burned a large picture of current President Bashar al-Assad. This looks as though it were a movement that started looking for local reforms, asking for more economic opportunity. It was more of a localized matter.

But in the past few days, as protesters have come under increasing violence, it's really coalesced into an anti-government movement and it's got the Syrian government quite worried -- Joe.

JOHNS: So we have reports today of government forces firing on the demonstrators. And I suppose a question is, does this suggest to you on the ground there that the Syrian government may be digging in its heels?

JAMJOOM: Last night, when we heard from the Syrian government and we got that response, it looked like a conciliatory tone. They were defiant at some points in saying that the Syrian government was not going to fire on protesters. They were also defensive at times.

But they said, look, mistakes have been made, but we promise to implement reforms and do it soon. But from what we're hearing today, it does look like the Syrian government is trying to -- is really trying to crack down hard on these protesters.

Now, we can't independently verify a lot of what's going on there. We have to rely on what we hear from activists. We're not getting responses from the government and we haven't been able to get in there.

But this looks like a severe crackdown and it looks like they're trying to discourage by any means these protesters from coming out. But what's interesting is, the protesters there, they seem to have gotten past their fear. In a country like Syria, it's extraordinary to see these kinds of demonstrations, where there's such authoritarian rule there. They say they're going to keep coming out. And today it looks like they have -- Joe.

JOHNS: There was also a protest today in a Syrian city called Hama. Can you sort of explain for us the significance of that protest and the location?

JAMJOOM: Joe, very significant. Hama is a city where in 1982, there was an uprising by the Muslim Brotherhood and the Syrian government killed over 10,000 people to try to quell that uprising, to try to put it down.

Now, the fact that there are protesters in Hama that are willing to come out, they know in Hama better than any other city in Syria what kind of ramifications protesters or uprisings can face by the government when there's such an authoritarian regime. So the fact that you're seeing this spread to even there shows how much the momentum has spread and gained in Syria and how much this anti- government movement has really taken root there -- Joe.

JOHNS: And not to minimize what we're seeing in Libya, even Egypt, can you sort of just describe for our audience here in the United States and around the world, really, why is it that Syria looms so important throughout the Middle East? What's the point there? What's the stake in Syria?

JAMJOOM: Joe, Syria is a key; it's a vital regional player here. Syria has its hand in so many internal affairs of so many countries in this region. On one hand, it's very closely allied with Iran. It also backs Hezbollah. It's very closely tied to Lebanon.

The U.S. knows that there can be no comprehensive Middle East peace without Syria. And even though Syria was a country that was internationally isolated for decades in the last four or five years, under the rule of Bashar al-Assad, he's been approaching the U.S. There's been a warming of relations even with the U.S. and other Western countries, a key regional player.

You can't really do much in the Middle East without relying on Syria to play a role. So, if Assad, if his regime is under threat, it makes people wonder what's going to happen, how is Syria going to play a role and what will happen to the broader picture here in the Middle East? -- Joe.

JOHNS: Now, very quickly, Mohammed, it's a lot for us all to follow, but we're now hearing about demonstrations in Jordan. Have you been hearing anything about that?

JAMJOOM: Yes. We heard a lot today about demonstrations. Now, there have been demonstrations the last couple of months in Jordan that have taken place on Fridays like today. Today was bigger in scale.

We heard that there were dozens of protesters injured and dozens of security forces injured. When you have pro-government loyalists and anti-government demonstrators get into clashes, and the security forces tried to intervene. The foreign minister in Jordan said that there had been demonstrations the past few months since this wave of unrest started spreading through the region, and, again, it's just causing more concern for regional neighbors of Jordan, if this is the next country where there will be more protests -- Joe.

Mohammed Jamjoom in Abu Dhabi, thanks so much for that great reporting.

Coming up, new information that Canada has agreed to step up and lead the mission in Libya. So what does that mean and how does it affect the U.S. military? That's next.

Also, new worries today at one of those troubled reactors in Japan, why this could be the worst thing we have heard so far. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHNS: NATO has decided which general will lead the alliance's campaign to enforce the no-fly zone over Iraq (sic). It's Canadian Lieutenant General Charles Bouchard, who is stationed in NATO in Naples.

General Bouchard will direct all of NATO's sea and air operations in Libya. NATO is set to take over the no-fly zone as soon as Sunday. Still no decision if NATO will go as far as bombing Libyan tanks that threaten civilians.

And we have new video shot just a few hours ago by a Reuters camera east of Ajdabiya. Watch this. Rebels and Gadhafi forces are locked in battle in Ajdabiya. Civilians fleeing the city are telling us about horrible scenes, bodies in the streets, Gadhafi's men on house-to-house hunts for members of the opposition. British planes destroyed tanks today that had weapons pointed toward the city. We will go live to Arwa Damon on the ground in just a moment.

But first we're going to take a closer look at how President Obama has been handling this whole situation. Why hasn't he given a major speech to the nation yet? Why didn't he cancel his Latin America trip? Was it bad leadership or carefully calculated decisions to send a message? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHNS: More on the ground in Libya now.

Arwa Damon is in Eastern Libya.

Arwa, what are you seeing right now?

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Joe, we were just outside of Ajdabiya, where there's still that ongoing battle for control of the city's northern and western gates. And we were among the refugee population, people who had fled from Ajdabiya, many of them camping out in tents in this rugged, desert, harsh terrain. They had fled anywhere from two weeks to yesterday and all of them were telling us horrific stories.

We spoke with one man who spoke of pitched battles in the streets between opposition fighters and Gadhafi's military. He spoke of Gadhafi's tanks firing indiscriminately at civilians. And while he was telling us this story, his 12-year-old son was standing right next to him. And so we asked him how he was feeling. He said, I'm scared. And he sounded normal, but he then he put his head down into his arm and he was trying to hide the fact that he was crying. And his father said that obviously what he had witnessed had had a severe psychological impact on him.

Another young man we spoke to, a number of families, actually, telling us how Gadhafi's military was going through areas and rounding up the young men, taking them away, never to be heard of again. No one knows where they are, if they're even dead or alive.

We also heard stories of how Gadhafi's military would call on civilians to come out, promising them that they would be safe and then detaining, in some cases, entire families. These are people living in fairly harsh conditions. They don't have access to regular water. Obviously, there's no electricity. They're living in tents. Some of them are living in makeshift shelters that they have built out of branches and shrubs that they have lashed together, covering them in blankets.

Many of them choosing, though, to stay in this desert around 30 miles outside of Ajdabiya, because they keep hoping that when they wake up in the morning the city is going to be safe and it's going to be in control of the opposition fighters. But, of course, we have not seen that just yet, Joe.

JOHNS: We are hearing reports and we have been hearing these reports for some time that the Gadhafi regime has been reaching out to possible mediators to get out some kind of message. So this kind of raises the question, just how strong are Gadhafi's forces at this point, really? Or do we know?

DAMON: And, Joe, that's quite difficult to gauge.

We have been hearing those reports as well. We have also been hearing reports that the unit inside Ajdabiya allegedly wants to surrender. Two nights ago, fighters were telling us that they raised a white flag; the unit at the northern checkpoint raised the flag; but then when fighters approached them in the morning, they were shot at.

People here in opposition-controlled Eastern Libya are very skeptical about any sort of conversation with Gadhafi's regime or with his representatives, because they don't trust him. They do not for one second believe that he is going to be willing to bring about some sort of a peaceful resolution to all of this, that he is going to be willing to step down from power.

They are convinced that any sort of approach by his regime is a trick, a plot to only try to bring down the opposition, to try to carry out even more massacres. And so it's difficult to gauge the sincerity, if, in fact, those type of offers are taking place.

When it comes to his military, we also hear various reports that they're weakened, but then we see the case that we're seeing in a place like Ajdabiya, where Gadhafi's troops, this small unit at the northern entrance and a slightly large unit at the western entrance have managed to bog down opposition fighters for six days now -- Joe.

JOHNS: Arwa Damon, thanks so much for that reporting. And stay safe.

Coming up, we are going to hear from the daughters of a man who blew himself up in Benghazi to help the rebels take control of the city. He's being called a martyr. We will tell you his story.

Here in the U.S., President Obama is dealing with the political fallout from his decision to use the military to intervene in Libya. Some members of Congress don't feel the president has told them enough about his Libya plan.

So Mr. Obama held a conference call with congressional leaders about an hour ago to tell them where things stand. Will that be enough to stop the political storm?

Let's bring in senior political analyst Gloria Borger.

Gloria, who's lining up for and against the president on U.S. action in Libya? Do we know? Is it -- are the Republicans the only ones who are criticizing him or is it --

GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: No. No. You know, this is -- it's sort of interesting because it's not really along party lines. I mean, there are people who believe, for example, that the president did the right thing, but they believe they weren't consulted as they should have been.

There are some who believe he did the wrong thing. And there are lots of people in Congress who are worried about how this NATO- controlled no-fly zone is going to work.

I think the interesting thing, Joe, is that we're in a whole new world now. And we're used to, in Washington, in Congress, OK, members of Congress say, we're going to pay the bill. You have to tell us what you need, how we're getting in, and how and when we're going to get out. We want a clear mission. We want a timetable.

But when you're part of a coalition, you kind of have to live with more ambiguity than I think we're used to in this country, particularly when you go out of your way, as the president of the United States has done, to say, you know what? We're not in the driver's seat. And that's been the president's clear message all along.

JOHNS: So, next week, Congress comes back from recess and the president or some of his people there in Washington, D.C., are supposed to sit down and talk with them.

BORGER: Sure.

JOHNS: What do we expect is going to happen?

BORGER: I think the letter that we got yesterday from House Speaker Boehner gives you a real clear indication of the kind of questions that members are going to ask.

I think the speaker showed more than a little bit of consternation when he said, you know, somehow, Mr. President, you had time to consult the United Nations, you had time to consult the Arab League, but you didn't have time to consult us.

Now, people in the administration will say there were phone calls, but this moved very quickly, that you had Gadhafi about to take over Benghazi, and that there could have been a real humanitarian catastrophe there, and that sometimes presidents have to act.

I think they're also going to -- they're going to ask questions about what the end game is and also how we define our mission. We have said that Gadhafi must go, but the United Nations Security Council said this is a humanitarian mission, and so does NATO.

So how do we work our air-to-ground capability if we're going to continue to do that as part of the NATO operation? You know, there are lots of serious operational questions when you have to foot the bill.

JOHNS: So we have been hearing the president is going to talk about Libya to the nation in the very near future --

BORGER: Right.

JOHNS: -- but not today.

(CROSSTALK)

BORGER: We're trying to find out, yes.

JOHNS: Right. When? Any idea? And why has he taken so long?

(CROSSTALK)

BORGER: Soon. Well, I think in a way it's been deliberate. He's had Hillary Clinton out there, he's had Gates, his secretary of defense, out there, because they believe -- they want to draw a distinction.

This is not going to war in Iraq. They believe, as Hillary Clinton said last night, that this is a mission that's limited in scope. And so, if you're part of an alliance that is limited in scope, you don't want to take it to such a level that you're sitting down with the American people and telling them you're going to war, which they do not believe they are.

So they're trying to find that middle balance there between letting the American public know what is going on and why you're doing it, stating your goals and your mission. They believe they have to do that, but they don't want to ratchet it up to such a level that it looks like it's another war in a Middle Eastern country which they are leading on their own. So they're trying to find the middle ground and I don't think they have found it yet.

JOHNS: Gloria Borger in Washington, thanks so much for that.

BORGER: Sure.

JOHNS: Coming up, I will talk with a ranking Democrat on the Armed Services Committee who was on that conference call with the president today.

Up next, new word there could be a breach at one of those nuclear reactors in Japan. Just how dangerous would that be? Next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHNS: Japanese workers at that damaged nuclear plant are dealing with a new worry today, and it's a potentially catastrophic development.

There could be a breach in the core of the number three reactor. That's the one that's been causing the most problems. It's the only reactor that has plutonium and uranium. In a worst-case scenario, a breach could lead to a large-scale release of radiation into the atmosphere.

Nuclear safety officials reached that conclusion after three plant workers stepped into a radioactive puddle yesterday. That leak indicates a possible break of the containment vessel that houses the core.

Nuclear expert James Acton puts the situation in context.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES ACTON, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: I think the thing that's worth emphasizing is we are very unlikely still, even if the worst has happened, in the sense that the containment vessel has breached, to see a radioactive release on the scale of Chernobyl.

We may very well see significant radioactive releases larger than anything that we have seen to date, but the explosion at Chernobyl that spread a large amount of material far and wide is unlikely to be replicated here. So, the worst-case here is still almost certainly significantly better than what we saw at Chernobyl.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: So are Americans prepared for an emergency at a U.S. nuclear plant? A new CNN/Opinion Research poll says most folks are not. Only 18 percent of people who live near a nuclear plant have a disaster supply kit. A whopping 82 percent do not. And only 42 percent, or four in 10 people, believe that a natural disaster at a nuclear plant near them would put their family in immediate danger.

Coming up, she survived the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, but her childhood friend died from the radiation. Now she's a cancer doctor who specializes in radiation. We will hear from her next.

Also, are you about to buy a new car? You might not be able to get it in the color you want because of the earthquake in Japan. We will explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHNS,: In Japan, there's a word for people who survived the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They call them the Hebakusha, literally translated that means explosion affected people.

One woman was just a toddler when Hiroshima was destroyed. She lived less than an hour away and has since become a doctor, using radiation as a force for good. Dr. Sanjay Gupta has her story in today's "Human Factor."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dr. Ritsuko Komaki was 2 years old when the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, more than 65 years ago. Her family lost six relatives. Her grandmother had radiation sickness.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her hair fell out and she had the nose bleeding and the diarrhea.

GUPTA: At that time, no one in Hiroshima understood how dangerous radiation could be. Little Ritsuko grew up playing among the radioactive ruins.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was just too small to know how much radioactive material is staying on the ground.

GUPTA: When she was 11, Komaki lost a friend to leukemia and she began to expect the bomb had long lasting invisible effects on her city. She wanted to learn more about what killed her friend and how to stop it. Eventually she went to medical school, and that's when she learned about radiation.

DR. RITSUKO KOMAKI, MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER: I volunteered during summertime to check all those people who are exposed to the atomic bomb.

GUPTA: Later in her medical training, Dr. Komaki learned that radiation could actually save lives, not just ruin them.

KOMAKI: When I saw these patients who are cured by radiation treatment, you know, I saw the light and I thought, my goodness, this is incredible.

GUPTA: As a cancer specialist, she uses radiation to treat patients and educates people about how radiation can be a force for good. Both in the United States and in her native Japan where most cancer patients for go this type of treatment because they fear radiation so much. For nearly a decade Komaki has made it her mission to change that.

KOMAKI: I really, truly hope that people, they don't get any wrong idea, you know. This accident of the nuclear plant, it's not like regular radiation treatment. GUPTA: For now, she as back in the United States treating patients but hopes to head to Japan again soon, to help her homeland and also to continue to spread her message that radiation doesn't always have to be a dirty word.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS: Ford fans may have to change their color choices for a while. Ford is asking dealers not to order cars, trucks and SUVs in black and red. The problem? A paint ingredient for the shades come from suppliers in Japan.

Alison Kosik is in New York. Alison, so does ford still have black and red vehicles in its inventory even?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You know, Joe, if you ask Ford they'll tell you that the colors are available now, that there is enough inventory to meet consumer demand. But, you know, the question is for how long.

Because the fact is that Ford is actually asking its dealers to order trucks and SUVs in any color but black, tuxedo black to be more specific. There's a problem getting the ingredient that gives the paint the glittery look. It's from a supplier in Japan that's obviously shutdown for now.

Red is also a problem, too, but Ford is scaling back its use of tuxedo black on its midsized SUVs, Taurus model, its Lincoln MKS sedans as well. You know what? Analysts are saying, Joe, that this is probably just the beginning for automakers industry wide. Joe --

JOHNS: And production for a lot of Japanese industries is pretty much at a standstill right now. So Ford isn't the only company feeling the sting, I take it.

KOSIK: It's not so much maybe -- for some it may be at a standstill. Others are preparing for what could be a standstill. Toyota, for example, had warned earlier this week all North American plants to prepare for a possible shutdown because of a shortage of parts from Japan.

Apple with its iPad 2, main components, in fact, five main components in the iPad 2 come from Japan. In fact, the battery and the memory chips so we may see some delays with the iPad 2 as it rolls out.

Even we're seeing some impacts on other areas, Tiffany, the jeweler, 20 percent of its business is done in Japan. It could see it in its bottom line. I'm talking about Tiffany's earning season.

Calloway Golf also has big business in Japan, and Coach, the handbag maker. All of these companies, a big chunk of sales come from Japan. We've even see Wall Street react as well. Even though nothing has necessarily happened to these companies, we're seeing traders trading on the what-if factor, what if there are shutdowns in some of these products from these companies?

We've seen these shares kind of tumble since the earthquake, Joe.

JOHNS: Thanks so much, Alison Kosik.

Coming up, it's been a hundred years since the Triangle Shirt Waist fire killed nearly 100 workers, mostly women and young girls. You're looking live at the site. When we come back, a look at the fire's impact on labor in the country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHNS: It was a tragedy that really helped ignite America's labor union movement. One hundred years ago on March 25, 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist Company in New York caught fire and claimed the lives of 146 workers, mostly women and teenage girls.

Let's go live to Allan Chernoff live outside the building and seen of the fire in lower Manhattan. Allan, this really resonates today.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. Joe, there's a tradition here of actually chalking the names of the victims in the sidewalk here, Sarah Weintraub, 17 years old. You see the flowers, the memorials.

That terrible fire happened right here in this building. It was one of the worst industrial disasters in the nation's history, and it changed thinking about government's regulation of the workplace.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHERNOFF (voice-over): The Triangle Shirtwaist Company was a thriving ladies' apparel firm, crammed with young, low-paid immigrant workers who made the popular women's blouses that button to the waist. Among them, 19-year-old Rose Oringer, her relatives won't allow her short life to be forgotten.

LEIGH BENIN, COUSIN OF TRIANGLE FIRE VICTIM ROSE ORINGER: It's just so, so sad. It's so sad to know that she and 145 others like her died that way so horribly.

CHERNOFF: The fire started on the eighth floor and spread quickly to the ninth and tenth. The workers who had never had a fire drill panicked, rushing for the elevators and the narrow stairwells. Survivors would never testify that doors to one of the two stairwells were lock.

The building had no sprinklers. The fire department arrived quickly, but its ladders were unable to reach the top floors of what was then a new high-rise. Dozens were trapped near the windows and had to make a horrifying instant decision -- burn to death or jump. Down came the bodies in a shower, burning, smoking, flaming bodies wrote eyewitness, William Shepard, a United Press reporter.

(on camera): The city's grief was immeasurable. Thousands of people came to this cemetery to bury 14 of the young victims underneath this memorial paid for by the ladies waist and dress makers union. It would be a galvanizing event for organize labor.

(voice-over): Only 16 months earlier, the Triangle work hers had struck for better pay and work conditions. Triangle refused to change the workplace. But after the massive fire, the idea that government had a responsibility to protect workers gained widespread acceptance. Union membership soared as New York State passed a series of workplace safety laws.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fire, the horror of it, and the sense of guilt the city felt when this was over really forced people to begin to change attitudes.

CHERNOFF: All the states follow and when Frances Perkins who witnessed the fire became FDR's labor secretary, she pushed through federal reforms as part of the new deal.

Today as the gravestones of the victims have faded with time, some of organized labor's gains that grew from the fire, like collective bargaining, are under assault.

BENIN: And for me, fighting to hold on to union rights and government regulation that protects working people. That's fighting for the meaning of my cousin's life because if all those things are taken away, she will have died in vain ultimately.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHERNOFF: That Triangle tragedy still resonates today, 100 years later. Even though most labor battles are not about workplace safety anymore, nonetheless it remains a rallying cry for unions. Joe --

JOHNS: Allan, big picture, how does this fire sort of play into today's collective bargaining battles?

CHERNOFF: It really does. There's a straight connection. Robert Wagner, who was a New York State senator at the time of the fire, he actually led the investigating committee into all of this. That committee created 36 rules here in New York State dealing with workplace safety.

And then when he became a U.S. senator he pushed through the Wagner Act, the National Labor Relations Act, which gives unions the right to collective bargaining. So, as you know, that now is the key issue in Wisconsin, Ohio, other states as well.

JOHNS: You had a ceremony today. Talk a little bit about that.

CHERNOFF: Yes, indeed. Right behind us there was a huge ceremony. It's pretty much wrapped up right now, but there were union members here, descendants of the 146 victims, all together really a huge memorial.

They do this every single year, but not to this degree. This is quite typical. What you do see here every year. And, by the way, come with me over here.

As you can see, it is a national historical landmark, this is really a place where people remember the sacrifice that some of the early immigrants made last century in this country. Joe --

JOHNS: Allan Chernoff in New York, thanks so much for that reporting. You can see the HBO documentary filmed this Saturday night 11:00 Eastern here on CNN.

Coming up, the human side of what's happening in Libya. A man who blew himself up to help rebels take control of Benghazi. We'll hear from his two daughters next.

But first, here's Stephanie Elam with some free money advice.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Time now for the help desk where we get answers to your financial questions. With me right now, Donna Rosato, she's a senior editor at Money and Lynette Khalfani-Cox, a writer for walletpop.com. Ladies, thank you for being with us.

We have a couple of questions for you today. Our first question is from Lynn in Florida -- I was divorced in 2008 and inherited all the credit card debt. I have since spent time working and paying down the debt. My credit score has improved. What score would indicate that I can purchase a home, Donna?

DONNA ROSATO, SENIOR EDITOR, MONEY: Well, you know, there's no one magic number that says, you can now purchase a home. But generally you need a score of at least 620 or higher. Most lenders use the fico score which raises 350 to 850.

The best rates go to folks who have a 780 or higher. But if she's got a 740 or higher or can work toward that, that's when you're going to get really decent terms and a good rate. So that's really what she should be aiming for.

ELAM: Right. Just keep your eyes on it, but it should work out.

All right, next is from William in Georgia, what are the tax advantages of my 83-year-old parents selling their house to me for just a buck. I have heard of people doing this. I don't really understand why.

Lynette, make it clear.

LYNETTE KHALFANI-COX, WRITER, WALLETPOP.COM: Well, they're trying to minimize estate taxes or potentially provide Medicaid benefits to the elderly parents. I don't know which might be the case in this particular situation, but I can tell you that this is fraught with a lot of dangers. This is not something you want to do without getting estate tax attorney, without a CPA. There could be potential gift taxes triggered, estate taxes, income taxes, if you do that $1 sale, the IRS might come back and say, this was essentially a gift.

Medicaid has a five-year look back period. If your parents need to go into a nursing home, they might say, what did you do within the last five years? What was transferred? That strategy doesn't always work.

So I say, do use extreme caution when it comes to transferring or potentially gifting essentially a $1 house.

ELAM: Yes, you hear stuff about rich people doing this, but they have a team of people helping them out. So consider that before you make those --

COX: You need advice on that one.

ELAM: All right, well, Donna and Lynette, thanks so much for helping us out. Of course, if you have a question that you'd like to get these lovely ladies to help you out on, we'd love to have it answer for you right here. Send us an e-mail anytime at cnnhelpdesk@cnn.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHNS: Is the human face behind the fighting in Libya, one man, a husband and a father who decided to sacrifice his life to help rebels gain an upper hand. His actions led to a major turning point in the battle for Benghazi now, a stronghold for the rebels.

CNN's Reza Sayah reports on the man being hailed as a martyr.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rebel fighters in street clothes going head-to-head with a Libyan army tank. The amateur video reportedly shot last week, a dramatic glimpse of the war for Libya, pitting civilians against Gadhafi's heavily armed forces.

Despite being severely outgunned, this is what rebel fighters did last month to the regime's military barracks in what is now the opposition capital of Benghazi, the destruction of the compound, the turning point in the fight for this key city.

To many here, this man was the hero of that fight, a 49-year-old oil company worker, husband, father of two, the best to help the opposition he decided was to sacrifice his life.

His two teenage daughters say they had no idea what their father had planned. His wife, too distraught to appear on camera. We're not able to express how much we miss him, says Sajeda. We miss him a lot, says her sister, Zuhur, he was with us every moment of our lives. (on camera): This is where he gave his life. It's the old military barracks here in Benghazi. It's pretty much demolished today, but on February 19th, rebel fighters had surrounded it and they were facing heavy firepower.

They were trying to get inside these military barracks, they couldn't. They needed something to shift their momentum. What he did was pack his car full of plastic car fuel containers in cooking gas cylinders.

And witnesses say he parked his car right over there, where that SUV is, and prayed and read the Koran for about 30 minutes and then he sped toward the main gate, where he blew himself and his car up. This is a picture of his best friend, Abdul Farhud, carrying his remains after the blast.

ABDUL FARHOUD, AL MEHDI'S FRIEND: If I didn't see his body in the car, I could not believe it.

SAYAH (voice-over): He says Al Mehdi's suicide attack sent Gadhafi troops running, clearing the way for rebel fighters to overtake the barracks.

FAHROUD: He's a hero. He's a real hero.

SAYAH: For opposition forces, the taking of the barracks was a victory, made possible they say by Al Mehdi, one of hundreds of civilians who've died in the war for Libya.

For two daughters, the sudden loss of their father is heart wrenching, but one, they say, they're honored to live with. He did something very important. We're definitely very proud of him.

Reza Sayah, CNN, Benghazi, Libya.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS: Let's go over to Southeast Asia now, the scene of yet another natural disaster. Residents of Myanmar are now reeling from a powerful earthquake, at least 75 people killed. More than 100 injured in that 6.8 magnitude quake. Tremors felt as far away as Bangkok, Thailand.

A shooting this morning in Indiana. Police say a former student shot and wounded another teacher at a middle school in Martinsville, according to WISH TV. The victim is in stable condition after being shot in the stomach twice. The alleged shooter is in custody and police have recovered a handgun from the scene. A teenager, again, shot in that incident.

And yesterday, a very private service was held for Elizabeth Taylor. She was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery, where her good friend, Michael Jackson was entombed in 2009. The service was open only to immediate family and close friends. Taylor had been hospitalized six weeks ago with congestive heart failure. She passed away on Wednesday. Taylor was 79 years old. Now, watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sorry, but they seem to be against everything that I believe in. And so I don't want them, necessarily, in my neighborhood.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: Not in my neighborhood. He's talking about Muslims. Straight ahead, a fascinating look at the fears many Americans face about another person's religion.

I'll also talk live with a ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee who just got off a conference call with President Obama. The topic, the unfolding situation in Libya. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHNS: Got a question for you now. Does freedom of religion mean freedom from suspicion? Should it? CNN's Soledad O'Brien takes a look at the dramatic fight over the construction of a mosque in the heart of the Bible belt. Here's a preview of a fascinating special.

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KEVIN FISHER, PLAINTIFF IN LAWSUIT AGAINST RUTHERFORD CO.: We, as citizens, we have families and we have children in this community, and we're trying to look out for our future.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We thank you for your love! We thank you for your joy!

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kevin Fisher has lived in Murfreesboro for 22 years. He's a corrections officer and a single father. Last May, Kevin was stunned to discover local officials had approved plans for a 53,000 square foot Islamic center in his hometown.

FISHER: Neighbors were outraged that something of this nature was being basically shoved down our throats and we didn't know anything about it.

O'BRIEN: A month later, the typically sleepy county commission meeting was anything but --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So many people turned up for the public hearing, authorities wouldn't let them all in.

FISHER: I'm very happy to see this many people here that are really standing up.

O'BRIEN: A few residents complained about the lack of notice of the mosque plan. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would respectfully ask for an expanded public hearing again.

O'BRIEN: Virtually everyone else spoke out against the threat of Islam.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everybody knows who's trying to kill us, and it's like we can't say it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I would encourage the boycott of any contractor associated with the project. Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our country was founded through the founding fathers, through the true God, the Father and Jesus Christ.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sorry, but they seem to be against everything that I believe in. And so I don't want them, necessarily, in my neighborhood.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That concludes our public comment period. Thank you very much.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS: The special is called "Unwelcome: The Muslims Next Door." It airs this Sunday night at 8:00 Eastern on CNN. Don't miss it.